Odd Mann Out
by KataHime
Summary: Lt. Col. Hollis Mann returns to help the NCIS team with a case. The way she and Gibbs parted last time was unpleasant but she wants to get back with him. But does he? (Full Summary inside) OT3


**Odd Mann Out**

Summary: Lt. Col. Hollis Mann returns to help the NCIS team with a case. The way she and Gibbs parted last time was unpleasant but she wants to get back with him. But does he? As she sets to figuring that out, the case turns personal for Abby when it's revealed that her stalker-ex Mikel Mawher is the prime suspect. While the team works on solving the case, Abby is going to find out just how far her stalker will go to make her his.

 **You do what you have to for family – The Unspoken Rule**

* * *

He frowned as he stared at his reflection in the mirror, water dripping into the sink as he tried to shake the nightmare from his mind. It was always the same one, Shannon and Kelly trapped in a car with no way out, and he couldn't save them. He never could, whether it was reality or his nightmares. _How many times would he have to see them die?_

Arms snake around his waist, pulling him from his thoughts, as sharp emerald eyes pierce his cobalt-blue through the mirror.

"You're up too early for a Saturday, Jethro," Jenny paused, waiting for him to respond, but when he didn't, she continued, "Bed's getting cold."

Suppressing a yawn, he wiped his face as he took her hand, letting her lead him. It was still warm despite her claims, and it probably had something to do with the dark-haired angel in the middle of it. Abby's hair was wild in sleep, covering most of the pillow she slept on, the covers pulled up to keep her body warm. She hadn't woken yet but he was sure she would any second, always in tune with their sleeping habits despite the fact she herself rarely slept long.

As they slid into bed on either side of her, she stirred slightly, "What time's it?"

"Early," he assured her quietly, "go back to sleep."

She rolled onto her side, facing Jen, their emerald eyes meeting for a moment before the younger woman closed hers and snuggled closer.

He takes a breath, letting their breathing lull him to sleep.

* * *

The ringing of his cell phone pulled him from his restless sleep; he reluctantly opened his eyes, fumbling groggily for his phone. His voice was gruff as he answered, "Yeah, Gibbs."

"Boss," DiNozzo's voice came through the speaker, "we have a case. Body found in Quantico."

"Alright. Meet you there," he hung up and sighed softly, switching on the bedside lamp.

He cast a glance over to the two huddled bodies beside him to find one pair of dark emerald eyes watching him.

"Case?" her voice was scratchy from lack of use, and he nodded in reply.

"Quantico," his voice was low, mindful of the slumbering woman beside her.

"What time is it?"

"Just after 0500," she started to move from under the blankets, but he shook his head, "Go back to sleep, Abbs."

"But –"

"You need to sleep. Be at headquarters by 0700," Without waiting for her reply, he grabbed his work clothes and headed into the adjoining bathroom.

* * *

The sun was creeping up over the grassy field as Lieutenant Colonel Hollis Mann made her way to the crime scene. The leaves crunched under her feet as she walked. Looking ahead of her she saw that the NCIS team was already there. Jethro was in front, leading the investigation, talking with a couple witnesses, one of whom appeared to be the base commander. She caught sight of Agents DiNozzo and David whispering to each other, McGee nudging Todd slightly as she passed. Finally he set his blue eyes on her and, as she expected, his look was only slightly friendly.

She addressed the Army Lieutenant, "Hollis Mann, Army CID."

As she was read-in, she stole a glance at him. It had only been a few months since she'd last seen him, but he seemed well. He had his no nonsense attitude about him, his eyes trained on the lieutenant as he explained where the petty officer was found.

"Didn't know this was a joint investigation," Jethro said after she'd been read-in and they were left collecting evidence.

"Petty Officer killed on an Army base? What did you expect?"

"A warning," He replied gruffly.

* * *

The lab's music was as loud as she remembered it, unable to hear her heart over the thumping of the base. She followed behind Jethro and Agent DiNozzo into the lab, trying to block out most of the noise, but the two agents didn't seem fazed by it. He placed a large Caf-Pow next to the Goth, stepping up into her personal space. She had to step closer to them to hear their conversation.

"Whatcha got for me, Abbs?"

"Oh, so much, Gibbs."

"About the case, Abby."

The Goth smirked, "Two separate blood samples, one A+…"

"Our victim's," he interjected.

She nodded, "The other's B-."

"Our killer's."

"Yeah. They're running now. I also pulled two sets of prints off the gun; one was the Petty Officer's. The other's still running."

"That's good work, Abbs," He pressed a kiss to the Goth's cheek, and they headed for the door.

"Wait!" Abby yelled out as the computer started to beep, "The match just came in."

And then several things happened at once: the Caf-Pow Abby was drinking slipped from her fingers, DiNozzo lunged for it, and Jethro was back at the Goth's side, keeping her steady as she swayed on her feet. DiNozzo barely caught the caffeinated drink before it could hit the floor, and he placed it in her fridge before moving closer to the screen. She peered curiously at the young, attractive man gazing back at her in the photograph. He looked exactly like the Goth's type or maybe was her brother.

* * *

Her body numb, she stared at the name, at the picture, and wanted nothing more for it to go away. She hadn't seen him for over two years; she'd gotten a call a couple days ago about him being released from the psych ward in a civilian hospital, but other than the appeals court she'd had to attend last year about him being let out early, she hadn't been given a mention of him whatsoever. Despite her better judgment, she hadn't mentioned the call to either Gibbs or Jen; he hadn't tried to contact her, so she didn't feel that it was necessary. She felt Gibbs kneading her shoulders, and that helped the sudden dizziness, could feel the anger radiating off him, and it calmed her slightly to know he was just as angry.

"Who's this Mawher fellow?" Mann's voice brought her back to reality.

"DiNozzo, stay with Abby until I get McGee down here. Then you and Ziva go pick him up." Gibbs headed for the elevator, pulling out his phone as he addressed Mann, "He's our prime suspect," She heard him yell out, "McGee!" before the elevators closed.

* * *

She trailed after Jethro as he strode through the bullpen, calling out orders.

"McGee, go get with Abby. I want everything on the bastard over the last two years. Kate, I want you to go to the Psych ward and get the visitor's log, everything you can. Ziva, I want you and Tony at his last address. Find him!"

The three were already moving before he'd made it to the stairs, and she was following him up; she didn't realize they were heading to the Director's office until she saw Cynthia.

"Agent Gibbs, she's asked not be…"

But the words were cut off as he barged into the room regardless.

"Jethro," Director Shepard hung up her phone, not even fazed by the rude opening of her door, "and Colonel Mann. Something I can help you with?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly turning to look at the man, who was looking angrily at the redhead.

The director looked at her once and then, addressing the man, inquired, "Jethro?"

"Take me off the case."

* * *

"Take me off the case."

She arched an eyebrow. This was the man who would fight over jurisdiction with the FBI, who would stop at nothing for justice to be served. And he wanted off the case? No, something was up. The faint hint of gunpowder hit her nose. He'd been down to see Abby then?

"You want to let the Army CID take over?"

"Yep."

"Colonel Mann," she met the woman's eyes, "any idea why Special Agent Gibbs wants to hand over the case?"

"Well, Ma'am, Abby got a match to a second set of prints. A Mikel Mawher. I'm not sure…" but the rest of the woman's words were a blur. She remembers being in the observation room and seeing the fear in Abby's eyes before she'd left, watching Tony and Jethro interrogate Abby's stalker, looking at the look in his eyes as he talked about Abby and him going through a rough patch, all the pictures he'd had. She'd personally saw that he was put in a psych ward that made sure the medication was taken, closely associated with Bethesda. But she didn't know he'd been released, and it seemed, neither did Jethro.

"Jen."

She blinked, coming back to the conversation at hand. Jethro's eyes met hers, and she saw the same anger she was feeling reflected back at her. And yet: "Go run your investigation, Jethro," He opened his mouth to interject, "Let your team interrogate Mawher, but I want you leading this." She could read him like a book, and that came from years of both working beside him and being his boss; he wanted to go after Mawher himself, without the agency behind him, and she knew that it was because he was angry he hadn't done more last time. "You can defer to Colonel Mann if you want."

He glanced at the blonde, "Like hell." And then he was heading out of the room, answering his phone as it rang, "What? Put him in interrogation. I'll be right down."

She looked at Hollis with a small smile, "Keep an eye on him, Colonel."

"Yes, Ma'am."

As the door closed behind her, her phone began to ring, "Shepard."

She heard the base first, steady and rhythmic, "Director!" Abby's voice was rushed as if she'd suddenly had an epiphany, "Don't let Gibbs off the case! He's going to try and…" there was a pause and then, "McGee! Personal space!" The music slowly faded; Abby must have gone into her office, "He's going to go after Mikel. And he shouldn't interrogate him either."

"I know."

She babbled on as if she hadn't heard, "Maybe have Kate and Ziva do the interrogat–"

"Abby!" she called though the Goth's rant, "Abbs, I know. I didn't let him."

"He was already there?"

"Mhmm," a small smile slipped onto her lips. "He just left."

"Oh, well, I'll just…you know…get back to work."

"Alright, Abby." She was already planning on heading down within the hour to see what she had, but the Goth didn't need to know that.

* * *

"I didn't kill anyone!" Mawher was shouting when she and Jethro entered the observation room.

"Sit down!" Ziva ordered as the man started to rise.

"We'll talk about that," Kate reassured him, "Can you explain how your fingerprints and blood were found on the murder weapon and at the crime scene?"

"I don't know how but I didn't kill anyone."

"They have the good cop/bad cop routine down," she commented with a wiry smirk, "You taught them well."

Beside her, Jethro is motionless, his eyes trained on the man. On the other side of him, Tony and Tim glanced sideways at him but turned their focus back on the interrogation.

"Do you think they were planted?" Ziva questioned, circling him.

"All I know is that I didn't do it! My blood type is B+. Did you take that into consideration?"

Jethro narrowed his eyes, "DiNozzo."

"Boss?"

"Go check over the records. Find out what happened to his gun."

"On it, Boss."

What gun, she didn't know, but she wasn't too keen on asking. The look was back in his eyes, and she knew that it was smart that he wasn't conducting the interrogation: he looked like he wanted to beat the information out of Mawher.

"He could be innocent," she commented.

"He could also be guilty," Jethro replied.

"Where's Abby?" Mawher asked, interrupting Ziva's question about his whereabouts on the night of the murder.

"That does not matter," the Israeli hissed out.

"Has she asked about me?"

"Have you been taking your medication, Mikel?" Kate asked, avoiding his question.

"Is she watching?" he stared at the glass intently, "Abby, are you there? Abby!"

"He's delusional." She said, frowning, "Jethro are you going tell me anything about this man?"

"Nope. McGee, fill her in." He breezed out of the observation room, muttering, "I need coffee."

* * *

Abby was in her office when she made her way down to the lab. For a moment, she observed her, the way her eyes lit up as she talked to whoever was on the other phone line, her lab coat on the rack behind her; the long-sleeved shirt and dark pants weren't what she'd put on this morning, and she caught the small heap of clothes in the corner of the room by Bert. She'd changed then, something that was rare.

Bright emerald caught hers then, and her smile seemed to grow, standing from her chair to unlock the glass door. As she passed, it was locked behind her.

"Luca, I'll call you back in a bit, ok? The Director just got here and I need to fill her in. Ok, love you too. Bye." As she hung up, she caught her eye, "Didn't know you were coming down here, Madame Director."

She arched an eyebrow at the nickname, but smiled nonetheless, "I wanted to surprise you. Is there a reason why you've locked us in here?"

"Maybe I just wanted to have my wicked way with you."

She rolled her eyes, smirking slightly as she stepped closer, "Are you sure it's not because you want me to have my wicked way with _you_ , Abby?"

"Oh, Director, you read me like a book," The door was unlocked and the Goth breezed past her with a teasing grin, "I've managed to find a third set of prints, but not on the gun."

"Where were they?"

"The bullets. But they're warped, like someone put on latex gloves. But they must have been cheap latex because the prints are smudged. Like why would they do that? Like, it's not that hard to get good quality latex. Then again, I guess they would have to pay extra money, but it would probably be worth it, don't you think? One time, my college professor –"

"Abby," she cut her off, "the case."

"Right. Well, until I can get the results from the smudged prints, that's all I have. And the blood types. So," Abby drew out the _o_ with a smile, "You have any speculation?"

"I feel like the killer is still in the base. He or she could have been visiting or could be one of the Army personnel on the base; the base commander put the place on lockdown."

"Maybe you should've stayed a field agent, Director. Gibbs' team was going over the visitor's logs for the base but it's more likely the petty officer was visiting and not our killer." Abby frowned thoughtfully, "Something seems really hinky to me. I mean, what are the odds that Mikel's gun is the murder weapon? When did he even get a gun, anyway?"

For a moment, she froze. Neither she nor Jethro had ever mentioned the gun's existence to Abby. That Mikel was even thinking as to going as far as to murder Abby and then fake her death with a suicide note was something they'd both agreed never to bring up, "I'll make sure Gibbs' team is on it. They're currently interrogating Mikel, and I still stand by my word, Abby: Gibbs won't let him crawl out of anything."

Abby wrapped her arms around her, and she smiled softly, hugging back gently, "I believed you when you told me that before. What about Mikel's gun?"

"I don't know where he got one." That was the truth at least. "I've got to get back to work."

The Goth grinned, "Me too."

* * *

 _He was in custody_. _He was in custody_. _He was in custody_. She repeated the mantra over and over in her head the entire way home. Mikel had been ruled out as a suspect and taken into custody by Metro; he was going to go back to the psych ward in the morning, and that made her breathe a little easier. She was looking forward to her coffin tonight. On any other night, she'd be staying at Gibbs' place or Jenny's, but she really needed her coffin. And they understood that. Gibbs had walked her out and had promised to call when he left work for the night. The last she knew, Jen was in a conference call in MTAC.

When their relationship started, she thought it would never work out; at the beginning there was jealousy and mistrust and she was Gibbs' old partner and how could she, Abby, ever compete? There was an animosity between her and Jen; it was still an open relationship, with Gibbs dating them both, but she and Jen rarely crossed paths. That all changed when Gibbs left for four months.

She realized what she had known in the back of her mind all along: she and Jen were kindred spirits. And they both loved Gibbs. What she didn't realize was that she had been in love with Jen too; she'd been blinded by her unease, but it took Gibbs leaving for her to realize her attraction. Now though, she knew that she loved them both and they loved her and each other just as much.

It wasn't always good; they'd had their share of arguments. Sometimes it was just two of them arguing and the third wouldn't get involved; those nights were hard because they'd end up sleeping in different parts of the house. Odd because they'd grown used to sleeping next to each other. But then other times, they'd be arguing at work, which was really just foreplay. While they never brought work home with them, there was something erotic about being _interrogated_ in bed.

She knew she wouldn't be able to get much sleep tonight. Knowing Mikel was in custody was refreshing and her coffin would provide comfort, but not having her partners beside her would be her biggest challenge.

She unlocked her apartment door; her mind was back at headquarters, so she didn't notice the person standing in her kitchen until he spoke.

"Hi, Abby."

At once, she froze, the door swinging closed behind her, leaving her in darkness. For a moment she thought she'd imagined it; she was drained both physically and emotionally, her caffeine-high starting to wear off. And then the light in her living room turned on and she was left face-to-face with her stalker.

She hadn't seen him in two years; she'd stayed in her lab when he was being interrogated, and once Jen had left, she'd tried not to think about him. His hair was slightly longer and there was an unhinged look in his eyes; he was wearing dark black jeans, chains hooks in his pockets, and a black leather jacket over a gray muscle shirt. She wasn't sure how she knew all of that, as her entire focus on the long knife in his hands.

* * *

"He's not a violent-type." She remembers the words she had spoken in Autopsy two years earlier. And he hadn't been violent towards _her_. He'd broken into her apartment and stolen her mail, slashed her tires, and even kept calling her despite the restraining order, but those had all been in attempts to get her to talk to him. Misguided attempts yes, but still, he never actually hurt her. All of that had terrified her, made her afraid to leave her apartment, but she still did because she loved her job and he couldn't take it away from her. Now however, with him standing in her apartment brandishing a knife, she wasn't so sure. He was supposed to be in custody tonight.

 _How'd he get out? How'd he get here?_

"What are you doing here, Mikel?" Those words, too, were familiar; she'd been standing inside McGee's apartment last time she'd said them, but there she'd had a typewriter to defend herself. She took a step away from the kitchen, eyes darting around for something that she could use to defend herself.

"I just wanted to see you, Abby," he took a step closer to her, smiling, "was released from Psych a couple days ago."

"And you were supposed to go back," she replied, watching him carefully.

"Metro let me go, said it was a mistake." He was _so_ lying. There was no way.

"Last I checked the restraining order was still in place," Her eyes went to her parasol sitting in the umbrella rack behind her psycho-ex. "You're not supposed to be within 100 feet of me."

"You don't need the restraining order. I'm not going to hurt you, Abby," he replied, "I just want to talk. Maybe get a bite to eat."

"I have plans," the words were out of her mouth before she realized what she was saying. Her _plans_ involved a shower and then sleep. She wished she would've just gone to either Gibbs' or Jenny's. Would Mikel have stayed all night if she hadn't come home?

"You can change them though, right?" he asked, looking hopeful.

"No, Mikel, I can't…" His face contorted into rage, and she quickly backpedaled, "but we could talk here for a little bit. I have some time."

"You can't lie, Abby," he took a menacing step towards her and she sidestepped him, aiming to reach her parasol. "You don't really have plans. You just want me to leave."

"I've been staying at the lab a lot, and my apartment really isn't that habitable." She just barely managed to block the jab forward, the knife barely missing slicing through her skin. She staggered back, "Mikel, stop!"

"Don't! Lie! To! Me!"

"It's the truth!" she yelled back.

But her words meant nothing; he continued trying to cut her with the weapon; she dodged left and right, backing up. She stumbled slightly over the umbrella rack and immediately grabbed her parasol.

"Stop! Moving!" he yelled out, lunging again. She bit back her gasp of pain as the weapon cut her arm as she moved to block, unable to back away. He sliced wildly, and she felt each cut tear through fabric to mark her skin. With a surge of adrenaline, she swung the parasol as hard as she could, and it landed with a sickening crack against the side of the man's face.

For a moment, everything was silent; the parasol slipped from her hand. Mikel, not expecting the move, was standing there, wide-eyed, in shock. Her mind immediately started working on an escape plan; and then he shot forward again, and she let out a gasp as the knife was thrust into her stomach. Her eyes widened in shock, her breath leaving her.

"Mikel?" she whispered in a stupefied voice.

His eyes were wild, crazy, and she realized with a sense of foreboding that it was like he didn't really care that he'd just stabbed her, as if he didn't even comprehend what he'd done. She felt the knife slide out with a _squelch_ as it was removed and then Mikel was pulling her into his arms; she struggled to keep her breathing even, to formulate a plan. _Abby to Gibbs. Abby to Gibbs. Come in Gibbs._ They'd always had a link, psychic or not. He always knew when she needed him. And right now she really, _really_ did.

* * *

Sitting in his chair, his team bouncing theories back and forth, Hollis giving her input, he couldn't focus. His gut was screaming at him. Mawher hadn't done it. DiNozzo had discovered that Mikel's gun had been stolen from Metro's evidence garage and then pawned. It had ended up in the hands of their murderer, but the smudged fingerprints that Abby had pulled wouldn't be done until the morning.

Mikel had been transferred back into Metro's custody. He was clearly not fit to be out in society. How he'd gotten out, he wasn't sure, but he was going to be transferred back in the morning. Abby had already left, wanting, she'd told him as he walked her out, to head to apartment and crawl into her coffin. He'd promised that he'd call when he was going to leave. He rubbed a hand over his eyes. Something was wrong.

"What do you think, boss?" McGee questioned.

"I think we're just wasting time spitballing ideas," his desk phone started ringing and the churning in his gut got worse; he answered it, "Yeah, Gibbs."

"Special Agent Gibbs, this is Lieutenant Matthews, Metro. We've got a problem."

"What kind of problem?" There was a lead ball settling in his stomach.

"Mikel Mawher's escaped. We –"

"When?"

"About half an hour. We're looking for him, have a 10 mile radius covered. We'll find him."

He hung up and grabbed his gun and badge, already heading to the elevator, "Mawher's escaped," his team was already moving, "Hollis, stay and fill in the Director when she gets out of MTAC."

"Shouldn't the local LEOs take over?"

"He's after Abby," he replied before the elevators closed.

He pulled out his phone, already dialing his girl before the elevator started moving. Abby's voicemail picked up, "Abbs? Abby, pick up the phone." Nothing. He hung up.

They reached the car, "Kate, keep trying to get ahold of her. Let's go!"

He just prayed that they'd make it in time.

* * *

"Why did you make me do that?" he asked her as he stroked her hair. "I didn't want to hurt you, Abby."

She pushed at him, trying to get him away, but he was physically stronger than her; she gave up trying to push him away. Blood was slipping out through her fingers as she tried to keep pressure on the wound, her hands staining with her blood; finally, he released her and she sank to the floor in the fetal position.

Her head was throbbing. The pounding seemed to be getting louder. She shut her eyes, hoping to dull the sound.

"I-I'm sorry Abby, I…" he stuttered out, and for a moment she thought he was going to help, but then she heard the knife drop as he looked fearfully at the front door, and then he was gone. She heard her apartment window open. _Fire escape_.

The banging was almost deafening, and then it was like something exploded.

"Abby!" She recognized that voice, could smell the musky sawdust; she felt the cool linoleum on her back as warm hands move hers and then the pressure was on her stomach again; she wanted it to go away. "Open your eyes, Abbs!" Her cheeks stung, but she obeyed him; catching sight of the gorgeous cobalt-blues was enough to make her smile.

"Gibbs," she muttered.

"…gonna be okay…Abby." His voice was getting foggy. She wanted to sign to him that it was ok, but she was so tired. She closed her eyes, "Abbs!"

* * *

She'd met the Director outside MTAC but had followed her into her office before she'd started talking. She'd just finished explaining the current situation when the woman's cell rang. Barely one tone had passed before she was answering it.

"Shepard," She watched as the woman's face drained of color, sitting back in her chair. "Alright. I'll be there in 10." She hung up and ran a hand over her face; for a moment she observed her. _What had happened_?

"Director Shepard?"

The woman took a shuddering breath and composed herself, but her hand was still shaking slightly as it touched the intercom, "Cynthia, have Hector bring the car around. I need to go…"

"Agent DiNozzo's already filled me in, Ma'am," Cynthia interrupted, "Hector's waiting for you in the garage."

"Thank you, Cynthia," she released the com, looking up at her, "Follow me, Colonel."

"Ma'am?" They were heading towards the elevator, and she fell into step beside the Director.

"It's Abby."

What the hell was going on? First Jethro, now the Director. She was just one forensic scientist. Yes, she was important to the agency and obviously to Jethro's team, and of course she didn't _hate_ the girl, but she didn't understand the way the two were acting.

"What happened," she questioned.

"Mawher attacked Abby in her apartment. He was lying in wait. She's in surgery at Bethesda."

"How bad?" she wasn't sure she wanted the answer.

"Ducky is trying to get information. Jethro said he hasn't gotten anything yet."

They met Hector at the car, and he held the door as they got in. In less than a minute they were on their way. She kept quiet, lost in her own thoughts, and stole a glance at the woman. She was focused, texting rapidly to someone, and if she had to bet money, she was sure it was Jethro.

* * *

Dr. Mallard was the first person they saw when they entered the hospital. He was chatting with a doctor whom she presumed Abby's surgeon, but she wasn't sure. He smiled politely when he saw them, excusing himself from the woman's presence.

"Director. Colonel Mann."

"Have you found out anything, Duck?" She hadn't noticed Jethro standing against a wall, but the other two seemed to have.

"Abigail will be just fine. The knife nicked her small intestine, causing a small tear, but it was patched up quickly. She's resting. Dr. Matthews wants to keep her overnight for observation, but she should be able to go home tomorrow."

"Her home's a crime scene," she replied.

There was a twinkle in the doctor's eyes as he replied, "I suppose she could always stay with Sister Rosita and the nuns," She caught a look between Jethro and the Director and frowned. She felt like she was missing something important. "But we'll see. Right now, the doctor thinks it's best if Abby rests. She'll let us know when she can have visitors." He turned to her with a smile, "Colonel, would you fancy a cup of coffee?"

Startled, it took a moment for her to respond, "Sure, Dr. Mallard. That would be nice," he began to lead her away, and she frowned, "What about – ?"

"They'll be fine," Before she turned the corner, she caught sight of the two of them sitting on the bench, Jethro pulling out his phone. "He's going to call the team and let them know what's going on. They'll find Mawher tonight, I'm sure."

They bought their coffees and sat next to the machine. She waited a few minutes before she couldn't take it, "Dr. Mallard…"

"Oh, Ducky, please. I insist."

"Ducky," she amended, "they view Abby as a daughter, don't they? Jethro and Director Shepard? That's why they're so worried, right?"

"Ahhh," he replied, and that twinkle was back in his eyes, "If that's how you choose to view it, then that's fine. Do I? Mostly certainly not. They're protective, yes, because Abigail isn't a field agent, but they also know she isn't a child. Right now, they're both feeling like they've let her down, and for almost the identical reason. You see, when Mr. Mawher first appeared, he was stalking Abigail; he left dozens of voicemails and ignored a restraining order. We had thought, at the time, that he was responsible for an attack in her lab. He was not, but he was still a danger to Abigail and it was ordered that he were to be placed in a psych ward. We hadn't known he'd been released or else I'm sure Jethro would have kept tabs on the man."

She thought of the way the two had been acting and frowned, "How do you think they view her then, Ducky? If not as a daughter?"

He didn't miss a beat, "Well, as a valued co-worker, of course."

That felt like a lie.

* * *

It had been a few days since that hectic moment in the hospital. Metro had managed to find Mikel Mawher a day after the incident at Abby's apartment. He'd been hiding out at a homeless shelter, and Metro had taken him into custody. It took the entirety of Jethro's team to keep the man from going to the station and interrogating him himself. She supposed Abby made that easier. Not long after Metro called did a call come in from Dr. Matthews; Abby was able to see visitors and that had him more inclined to see her than go after Mawher.

Abby's temporary replacement had gotten the hit on the smudged prints; they'd arrested the murderer: an Army sergeant who'd had a disagreement with the petty officer when the victim had been visiting. He'd plead guilty and was heading to jail. The last couple of days had been stressful, but it was time she got the answer she was looking for.

Ever since she first saw him in the field, despite the way they'd parted last time and even with the look he'd given her, she wanted to know if he would be open for a date. It was worth a shot. It was just breaching 1900 when she arrived at his house. The light was on in the living room. It was rare that he wasn't in his basement. She steeled herself as she knocked on his door; it didn't feel right to just walk in.

He answered after a couple seconds, dressed in a red hoodie and sweats, "Hollis."

"Jethro."

"Did you want to come in?"

"Sure," he moved aside and let her pass, "I heard Abby got released from the hospital."

"Yeah, she's resting on the couch."

"She's here?"

"Well, yeah. Did have a hell of a time convincing the nuns though," he nodded towards the living room, "go ahead and have a seat. I'll get us drinks."

"I thought you said Abby was resting?"

"She's not asleep. I don't think," he grinned and moved past her into the room, "Nah, she just has her eyes closed."

She sighed softly and entered the room, stopping almost immediately. Whatever she was expecting, it wasn't Abby on the couch with her head in Jen's lap. The redhead seemed content to run her fingers through the raven locks, and Abby didn't seem to mind, a content smile on her lips. They were both wearing sweats and one of Jethro's old Marine shirts.

"Hollis," Jen's voice startled her, though she didn't take her eyes off the Goth, "you can have a seat. The chair's comfortable."

"I'm…uh…" she started as she sat down.

"Confused?" Jethro supplied, placing a beer in her hand as he passed her. He handed Jen one, settling on the edge of the couch.

"A bit," she admitted. The alternative hadn't even popped in her head because, really, Jethro and Jen she would've believed were in a relationship, but not with Abby; not the three of them together. "The way the two of you were acting over the last few days made me think that maybe you viewed Abby as," she rubbed her neck awkwardly, "well, as a daughter. But clearly, I'm far off."

A ghost of a smirk slipped on to Abby's face, "Way off."

"And the three of you are what exactly?"

"Exclusive," Jethro replied.

"Just the three of us," Abby added.

"Only Ducky knows," Jen said, "which was why he made all those comments in the hospital."

"I see," but really she didn't.

"Hollis, why don't you stay for a bit? Drink your beer; we can catch up. I was going to make a late dinner anyhow." Jethro Gibbs was offering to catch up?

She smiled, opening her beer, "Sure, why not? I'd love to hear how Ducky found out about your relationship."

Jen smirked, casting a loving glance at Abby, "Well, we still blame Abby for that."

"Not my fault!" Abby replied, struggling to sit up. "Jen, help me up! Come on, Gibbs, please!"

"No moving, Abbs."

"Doctor's orders."

"Oh, come on!"

She took a drink of her beer to hold back her laughter, noticing the way he grinned at the women. _He was happy_. After learning about his first wife and daughter that was all she had ever wanted for him.


End file.
